Does Food Dye Have Gluten?

In general, food dyes should be gluten-free.

Food dye is in almost every type of processed food you see on store shelves. Baked goods, crackers, candies, breads, pastas and beverages are among the products that often contain some sort of coloring agent. These dyes are typically gluten-free. Sometimes, however, they do contain miniscule amounts of gluten due to the way they were processed. Read the label to be certain.

What They’re Made Of

Food dyes can either be artificial or natural. Artificial colorings have two main ingredients: water and propylene glycol, a liquid that helps water absorb. Some dyes also have preservatives, such as propylparaben, to extend the shelf life. Of course the key ingredients in artificial food colorings are the actual colors. These products have a blend of Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act color ingredients. Some of them include FD&C; Red No. 40, FD&C; Blue No. 1, FD&C; Yellow No. 5 or FD&C; Red No. 3. Natural colors can come from pigments in spices, vegetables and fruits, such as purple-blue anthocyanins from blueberries. These agents are all deemed safe for human consumption by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Plant Processing and Gluten

No matter the source of the dye in your food, it shouldn’t directly have any wheat, barley or rye grain ingredients. But some food dyes still aren’t gluten-free because food-manufacturing plants make a lot of different products. A plant that makes dyes may also produce soy sauce, seasoning packets or sauces that contain gluten. If gluten-containing grains are in the plant, they can contaminate dyes if they’re made using the same machines as the gluten products. Gluten can also become airborne and contaminate batches of dye, if a wind picks up wheat flour and carries it across the factory.

Manufacturing Precautions

Many food manufacturers take precautions to ensure that their product is indeed gluten-free. They don’t handle gluten-containing ingredients on the same equipment as gluten-free machines, or they store gluten-rich grains in separate rooms, for instance. As a further option, manufacturers can choose to have the final product tested for gluten, if they want to label their product gluten-free.

Check the Label

If the final version of the food -- or ingredient in this case -- has fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten, food manufacturers can put “gluten-free” on their labels. Always look for the “gluten-free,” “no gluten,” “without gluten” or “free of gluten” terms on the products you buy. This is the best way to ensure they’re truly safe for you to consume.